Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 5-7-21

Feature
USF Professor Receives Zenobia Lawrence Hikes Woman Of Color Administrator Award
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Dr. Brenda L. Walker
recently received the Zeno- bia Lawrence Hikes Faculty of Color Administrator Award. As a national award, it recognizes a woman of color with a distinguished career in higher education demonstrated by scholarly endeavors or administrative and professional accom- plishments.
Additionally, the woman is an engaged member of her campus and community, with a history of advancing the development of young women of color as they pur- sue their education and pre- pare for careers in the academy and beyond.
The award is named in the memory of Zenobia Lawrence Hikes, who served as Vice President of Student Affairs at Virginia Tech from 2005 until her passing in 2008. It is pre- sented to one faculty mem- ber and one administrator.
Dr. Walker received the Award as a woman of color administrator who has had a distinguished career in higher education demon- strated by scholarly endeav- ors and administrative and
DR. BRENDA L. WALKER
professional accomplish- ments.
“I am honored and hum- bled to have been nominated by Dr. LaSonya Moore, an Assistant Professor and colleague on the USF St. Pe- tersburg campus.” Dr. Walker received a plague and a $1,500 check.
Dr. Walker is the In- terim Associate Dean of the College of Education and Professor at the University of South Florida St. Peters- burg. She earned her Bache- lor’s and Master’s degrees at Central Michigan University and a Doctorate in Behavior Disorders and Learning Dis- abilities from the University of Kansas. She also earned her Juris Doctor from Stet- son University College of Law and is a lawyer inter-
ested in civil rights, educa- tion, and poverty laws.
A product of urban schools in Saginaw, Michi- gan, Dr. Walker commit- ted her career to improving outcomes for children and families in urban and high poverty communities. While at the University of South Florida, she secured over $10 million in federal fund- ing “to recruit and retain students of color to be effec- tive teachers in urban schools,” she said. What also stands out in her career is that she further developed the first successful initiative to recruit and prepare African American men to teach children with behavior disorders. Her grants pro- vided research assistant- ships, tuition, and books to over 40 students enrolled in Ph.D. programs.
Dr. Walker enhanced the research capacity of HBCUs, Hispanic-Serving and Native American serv- ing institutions. She is a for- mer President of USF’s Black Faculty and Staff As- sociation and currently co- chairs the Committee On Black Affairs.
She has mentored nu- merous early career faculty at USF and around the coun- try to facilitate their success- ful tenure and promotion in higher education. Dr. Walker’s research and scholarship focus primarily on African American learn- ers and ways that schools and juvenile justice systems can be more culturally re- sponsive. She published a number of journal articles, book chapters, co-authored a textbook, and published a children’s book, “One Love.” Her publications focus specifically on school sus- pensions, special education overrepresentation, and the school to prison pipeline.
Dr. Walker provides service to K-12 schools by delivering motivational and educational speeches and workshops to students, teachers, and principals.
Businesswoman To Host Pop-Up Shop To Celebrate 1-Year
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
On Saturday, May 8, 2021, Tyler Watson, also known as Tyler The Braider, will have a pop-up shop event for the one-year anniversary of her company, TM Watson, LLC.
The pop-up shop will be located at 9029 Copeland Road, Tampa, FL, 33637. The event is from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p. m. and there will be other vendors, music, and food with a soulful vibe.
TM Watson LLC includes Watson’s two businesses. Her first business is a lip gloss for little girls called Gloss Me Out. She later added her tremendous braid- ing talent, and Tyler The Braider was born.
Watson is a Tampa na- tive who graduated from Wharton High School with Honors. She initially went to Jackson State University, but later transferred to Georgia State where she graduated with honors with a degree in Sociology in 2017.
Watson always loved doing hair. She started braid- ing her own hair after learn- ing to braid her Barbie doll’s hair.
In college, an upperclass- man asked her why she wasn’t braiding other girls’ hair. She then started braid- ing hair to earn extra money.
After graduating, Watson started doing her friend’s lit- tle girl’s hair. That led to more and more clients.
Watson has a special affin- ity for doing little girls’ hair. Eventually she wants to cre- ate a traveling salon to treat little girls to a makeover and hair experience.
As she did more and more little girls’ hair, she wanted to make it special. She created
cute lip glosses in tubes geared toward little girls.
After posting her Gloss Me Out lip gloss on social media, she found that adults wanted the gloss. She sold over 100 tubes the first day. She now has an assortment of tubes for adults as well. She now ships to 11 states.
Watson works full time and only braids on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. She is extremely busy, usually doing eight heads per weekend.
To find her businesses on social media, go to https://www.instagram.com /gl0ssmeout (Instagram) or https://www.facebook.com/ Gloss-Me-Out (Facebook). To find Tyler The Braider go to https://www.insta- gram.com/gl0ssmeout (In- stagram)
TYLER WATSON Celebrates One Year of her LLC, TM Watson.
PAGE 8-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021